CHARLESTON, S.C. – Top seeded Furman defeated fifth-seeded Appalachian State, 4-0, Saturday in the semifinals of the 2006 Southern Conference Women’s Tennis Championship hosted by The Citadel at the Farmfield Tennis Center.The win improves Furman’s record to 17-6 with Appalachian State completing their season 12-7.

Due to the threat of inclement weather, the match began with singles play with Furman claiming four points to win the match. At the No.1 singles position, Southern Conference Freshman of the Year Laura Gioia defeated Appalachian’s Anja Gugger 6-0, 6-2, while No. 4 Shannon Moore defeated Salem Kirven 6-2, 6-0, helping Furman take command early on.

The Paladins concluded the match by taking victories at the No. 5 and No. 6 positions to claim the victory. At the No. 5 position, Bonnie Baird picked up a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Lyndsey Free and No. 6 Lauren Tomory clinched the match for Furman with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Frances Blanton.

Furman advances to the championship match of the 2006 Southern Conference Southern Conference Tennis Championships, marking the third straight year that the Paladins have advanced to the final match. The Paladins will face second-seeded Davidson tomorrow in the championship match, with the first serve set for 2 p.m.

Furman 4, Appalachian State 0

Singles

Laura Gioia (FUR) def. Anja Gugger (ASU), 6-0, 6-2

Marti Morris (FUR) vs. Monica Thomas (ASU), DNF

Lauren Osborne (FUR) vs. Victoria Moody(ASU), DNF

Shannon Moore (FUR) def. Salem Kirven (ASU), 6-2, 6-0

Bonnie Baird (FUR) def. Lyndsey Free (ASU), 6-1, 6-1

Lauren Tomory (FUR) def. Francis Blanton (ASU), 6-1, 6-2

No. 2 Davidson 4, No. 3 College of Charleston 1

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Second seeded Davidson defeated third seeded College of Charleston, 4-1, in the semifinal round of the SoCon Championships, Thursday, Apr. 22 at the EarleTennisCenter on the campus of The Citadel. The win moved Davidson’s record to 17-8 overall, while the Cougars finished out their season at 12-11.

Due to the threat of inclement weather, the match began with singles play and Davidson claimed the match, winning at the No. 1, 4, 5 and 6 positions to earn a berth in the championship match. Kelsey Linville claimed a 6-2, 6-2 win over Maxine Capewell at the No. 1 position, while Kate Levitt defeated Ashley Finnegan 7-6, 7-5 at the No. 4 position to clinch the match for the Wildcats.

Davidson also got a victory from Meredith Skeeters at the No. 5 post, as she defeated Payten Ellington 6-0, 6-1 and No. 6 Lora Dushanova defeated Jenna Marks 6-4, 6-2 to round out the points for the Cats.

In a rematch of the 2005 Southern Conference Women’s Tennis Championship match, Davidson will take on Furman tomorrow at 2 p.m. at the EarleTennisCenter on the campus of The Citadel.